Featured Charity: PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart Charities® is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raises awareness of companion-animal welfare issues and promotes healthy relationships between people and pets. We are the largest funder of companion-animal welfare efforts in North America, providing more than $165 million in grants and programs since 1994.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, PetSmart Charities® has adoption centers in more than 1,200 PetSmart® stores, and supports thousands of animal welfare groups located throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

How you can help & how your donation will make an impact:

With the growing number of foreclosures and abandoned homes in the U.S., pets are often left behind. Government entities and humane societies bear the brunt of the additional intake of homeless pets. Because these organizations need more space for pets to be seen by potential pet parents, PetSmart Charities® created a new type of adoption center in 2010 that houses up to 40 cats and dogs full time inside a PetSmart® store and is operated and staffed by a local animal-welfare organization. We currently have 11 of these full-service adoption centers open in seven states, which helped save about 8,000 homeless pets last year. We plan to expand this life-saving model to additional communities by the end of 2012.

How you can help:

In 2012, PetSmart Charities® set a goal of raising $10.4 million to help save the lives of homeless pets. Members of the public can help us reach this goal by making a tax-deductible donation online at www.petsmartcharities.org, via email at gifts@petsmartcharities.org, or by phone at 623-587-2826.

How your company can help:

As an organization, PetSmart Charities® is continually engaging corporations that are passionate about our cause. Of course, financial donations, which are used to support our lifesaving programs, are always welcomed. Another way for corporations to make is difference is to share our voice.  Click here to learn more about our sponsors and partners.

When do we need help the most?

From a seasonal perspective, our Emergency Relief program is usually a little busier during hurricane season, but the homeless pet overpopulation problem is a year-round tragedy. 11,000 pets are euthanized every day in U.S. shelters because they aren’t adopted. That equates to more than 5 million pets per year or about half of all pets in shelters.  

Your donation's impact:

For nine consecutive years, PetSmart Charities® has been given a four-star rating for efficient and effective financial management, by America’s largest independent evaluator of charities, Charity Navigator. 

This includes:

• The PetSmart Charities® Adoption Centers: Located in every PetSmart® store, they have helped nearly 5 million homeless pets find lifelong, loving homes.
• Spay/Neuter Funding: Addresses the heart of the homeless pet overpopulation problem.  We’ve provided over $26 million in spay/neuter funding since 2007 and subsidized the cost of more than 1 million surgeries.
• Emergency Relief Assistance: For pets facing man-made or natural disasters.
• The PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’ Program: Transports dogs and puppies from overcrowded shelters where they face euthanasia to shelters where there is a demand for dogs and puppies. We recently celebrated a milestone of transporting the 50,000th dog on a Rescue Waggin’ vehicle.

What we wish more people knew about us:

At PetSmart Charities®, we strive to provide funding that can change and improve the lives of pets, both today and tomorrow. We constantly work to develop new programs and enhance our existing services. By strategically planning for the future and being an innovator in the animal-welfare industry, PetSmart Charities® helps find homes for about 400,000 pets every year through our in-store adoption centers alone!

Through our in-store adoption program in all 1,200 plus PetSmart® stores, PetSmart Charities® has helped save the lives of more than 5 million pets. In fact, a pet is adopted every minute that a PetSmart Charities® Adoption Center is open!

Upcoming Events:

PetSmart Charities® has two remaining National Adoption Events in 2012: September 14-16 and November 2-4. Every year, PetSmart Charities® and its local shelter and rescue agency partners host four National Adoption Weekends. In 2011, more than 66,000 pets’ lives were saved across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico during these events.  Click here to find an event near you.

Want to learn more about PetSmart Charities^®?

Web Site: www.petsmartcharities.org
Phone: 1-800-423-PETS (7387)
Mailing Address: 19601 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027
CFC#: 10351
E-mail: info@petsmartcharities.org

Connect with PetSmart Charities^®:
Blog: www.pschar.org/blog
www.facebook.com/savehomelesspets
@petsmartchariTs
www.youtube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc